


At First Sight

by orphan_account



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, love at first sight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-03-20
Packaged: 2019-04-04 18:36:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14026248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When the Blight ended, Alistair was made king and his best friend, Daylen Amell, ran off with Morrigan. After spending so many years alone, and being constantly pressured to wed, he holds a royal ball, the motivation of which is to find him a wife.Of course, he never intended to actually fulfill that purpose.But he didn’t think he would find someone like Elissa Cousland there either.





	At First Sight

Alistair was bored.

Actually, he decided, bored was an understatement. He was completely and utterly stultified(a word he had heard Eamon use one time and integrated into his vocabulary to sound like he was somewhat noble-bred).

He was standing in the ballroom, off to the side and talking to some men that he wasn't really listening to.

Adorned in quality finery with a crown on his head, it was clear to see that the king wasn't enjoying himself.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Eamon glaring him down, trying to shame him for his rude behavior.

Alistair crossed his arms and stood up a bit straighter, trying to look interested in the conversation he had been tuning out.

"-and my Helen is really quite something. She's well-read, talented at embroidery, a devout Andrastian, and not bad on the eyes, if I do say so myself-"

And he stopped listening again.

It was true that Alistair had thrown this ball under the pretense that he would pick a wife among the women who cared to attend tonight, but he was planning on going forward into the next day saying there was so many lovely ladies there he just couldn't choose.

Which would have been a lie.

All the women he had met had either been completely brazen, offering him sex in exchange for the crown, or so stuck up that they regarded him as if he was beneath them just because he was a bastard.

It made him long for how his life was three years ago, back in the days of the Blight, sleeping under the stars and wandering freely. It was quite nice, despite the threat of the Archdemon constantly hanging over them.

But thinking about those days just made him feel even more unhappy with his position. Not only was he in a position he was very much not qualified for, but his best friend, Daylen Amell, had runaway with his worst enemy to go start a family.

He was happy for Daylen, he truly was, but it really sucked for him. He had hoped his friend would be of some help to him in this new position(since he was the one who had put him there), but now he was gone and Alistair remained alone.

Part of him wanted to find someone tonight, not just as another person to help rule his kingdom, but also as a companion to share his life with. The life of a king was a lonely one, and he was tired of it.

But there was no one in the room who seemed to have to ability to help with that.

At that moment, the doors opened and a few tardy guests wandered in.

There were too many people in the room for him to see who had walked in an hour late to the party, but he heard whispers throughout the room. People were sneering in disgust, saying that being 'fashionably late' was so very _Orlesian_ of them.

"Now announcing Teryn Fergus Cousland, and his sister Teryna Elissa Cousland."

Alistair furrowed his eyebrows and quietly excused himself to go greet his guests.

The Cousland's were one of the most powerful families in Fereldan, and he had been surprised when they had neglected to show up to the ball. But now they were here, and it would certainly be seen as rude if he didn't go over and personally welcome them.

Then again, Alistair wasn't really one to care about how the nobles perceived him. He spent more time traveling the country and among the people than he did in the castle. He only decided to greet them because he hoped they would be better conversationalists than the nobles he had just been talking with.

"Welcome, Your Lord and Ladyship-"

And that was when he saw her.

Time slowed; everything stopped; there was nothing in the world except for Elissa Cousland.

She had turned over her shoulder to look at him, her beautiful face lit up in a bright smile. Dark brown hair contrasted with her pale skin and stormy gray eyes. Her dress was simple and navy-colored, going well with her loose up-do that left bits of it falling out.

Her visage became serious as she stared at him, gorgeous eyes wide as she took him in.

Everything about her, from the way she grinned to even the way she stood- she was perfect. He'd never met another person like her, and she hadn't even said a word to him.

He was in love.

All he wanted to do was bundle her up in his arms and take her straight to the Chantry because she was it. She was his world.  There would never be anyone that would captivate and hold his attention like her.

He almost felt bad for the other women in the room vying for his attention. None of them had a chance; he'd just found his queen.

"It was an honor to receive an invitation, Your Highness," the man next to her, her brother, probably, addressed him politely.

He snapped out of it and nodded, hoping he wasn't making a fool out of himself and imagining it. But, Maker, he was sure she felt it too.

"I wasn't sure you both would make it. You were, what's it called, fashionably late?" he joked nervously, glancing over at Elissa who was watching him intently.

She smoothed out the front of her dress before replying, "We ran into some... complications, Your Highness."

He thought she had the sweetest, most melodic voice he'd ever heard.

Everything about her made him so enamored.

"Please, call me Alistair," he spoke without thinking, forgetting for a moment that he was king and to be addressed by his fist name would be considered truly disrespectful.

He just didn't want to be the king to her, he wanted to be himself. He wanted to be Alistair.

She smiled and he thought he would die right there.

”Alright, Alistair, you may call me Elissa.”

He grinned right back.

Her brother slyly elbowed her, as if he was asking her to remember her manners.

”Teryn Cousland, would it be alright if I danced with your sister?”

Alistair never asked anyone to dance unless Eamon made him. This was completely new territory.

Fergus seemed genuinely surprised at the king’s interest in his sister, but also somewhat protective. He cast a wary glance to Elissa.

”If she consents,” he answered simply, letting his sister decide for herself.

”I would love to,” she said, her voice smooth as she took Alistair’s outstretched hand and walked to the dance floor with him.

The orchestra began to play a lively tune, and they moved together gracefully. He had never been a particularly good dancer, but with Elissa it hardly seemed to matter.

”So, are you always this bold, _Alistair_?” she asked with a huge grin on her face, bright eyes looking up at him.

He choked out a laugh. “Only with exceptionally beautiful women, _Elissa_.”

It was her turn to laugh as they twirled together to the best of the music. Her face was flushed and she looked alive. “I bet you say that to all the girls."

Shaking his head, he guided her smoothly into the next few steps. "Not often- actually, not at all. You would be the first."

She blushed deeply at that, but her face turned rather serious. Leaning in a little too much to be considered proper, she whispered in his ear, "Do you feel it too?"

Usually, he would make some sort of stupid joke about what she was saying, but what she'd said had thrown him off guard.

He truly wasn't expecting her to acknowledge whatever had passed between them when they'd seen each other, but the moments that went by made it more and more unbearable.

Swallowing hard, he nodded furiously. He knew his words would only fail him.

She let out a breath of relief and laughed lightly. "Strange, isn't it?"

He could feel the eyes of the entire room on them. They were all looking at the mystery woman that their king had seemed so taken with.

"You could say that."

The song ended and she curtsied towards him, and he bowed in return.

She reluctantly turned to leave, noticing that droves of women were flocking to get a chance to dance with the king.

He grabbed her arm, "Meet me in the garden later, please," he requested desperately, not wanting his night with her to end there.

Elissa's face was determined, and she gave him a short nod before turning away and striding back over to her brother.

* * *

It was an hour before he could make it outside to her.

He was worried that she had given up on him or changed her mind. He was scared he'd already messed it up.

But when he reached the garden, out of breath from running there, she was standing out there patiently. Her shawl was wrapped around her tightly as she stared up at the night sky, the moon illuminating her divine features. Her breath came out in puffs of cold vapor, and that was when he realized she must be cold.

He took off his jacket without thinking about it as he approached her. He set it on her shoulders, and wondered if it would be too bold to wrap her up in his arms.

Alistair decided against it, and watched in amusement as she jumped from the sudden contact.

She hit his shoulder and laughed, "You scared me!"

He grinned wider than he ever had.

Not only had she hit him, but she had also yelled at him.

Everyone these days was so worried about tiptoeing around him, scared of what he might do to them if they behaved wrong.

She had no inhibitions with him.

If it was possible, he loved her even more in that moment.

He did pull her into his arms that time.

She froze, and he was worried that he had crossed a line. But after a short moment, she was wrapping her own arms around him and burying her face in the crook of his neck.

Alistair had never felt so safe.

"I'm not crazy, am I?" she wondered aloud, her soft voice vibrating along where her face was pressed.

He held her tighter, one hand going to her hair and stroking it, as if to reassure her.

It was soft.

"No, you're not."

Deciding that he would go with being bold for the night, he kissed the top of her head, savoring the moment.

She gripped him harder.

They pulled away after awhile of enjoying each others presence. When they looked at each other, they were both bashful and blushing.

He took her hand and led her farther in the garden, further assuring their privacy.

They walked, fingers interlaced, through the garden, admiring the scenery and making small talk.

”So what was the ‘complication’ you ran into one the way here? I would have appreciated you showing up earlier, the party was really dull, but then again, I probably wouldn’t have been able to focus enough to engage in all those fascinating conversations-”

She cut him off cut a light-hearted giggle.

”Alistair, you’re rambling.”

He blushed darkly, cursing silently at how he was bumbling. He was the king of Ferelden, but he couldn’t talk to a pretty girl.

She gave his hand a squeeze and sent him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I find it quite adorable.”

He let out a fake scoff and pretended to be offended. “Me? The ruler of the people? The barbarian Ferelden king? Well I never.”

His smirk gave him away.

She laughed again, and he closed his eyes and let himself fall into the sound. It was so beautiful, and he wanted to hear it for the rest of his days.

”Hey, you didn’t answer my question! I see what you’re trying to do, distracting me with your good looks and flirting until I’m all confused. Well, it won’t work this time!” And he was babbling again.

She grinned, and turned her head to admire a bush of roses they had passed. “Some men tried to take over the carriage Fergus and I were riding in,” she spoke simply, as if it were an everyday occurrence.

Alistair squeaked in surprise and his eyebrows flew up. “Wait- what? You were attacked?!”

They stopped walking and he looked at her, suddenly serious.

She became meek and shrugged. “Ever since my parents died and Howe overpowered my family, people have been targeting my brother and I. They assume that we are weak,” she scoffed and shook her head. “I’m pretty good with daggers, and my brother is a fierce warrior. They keep making the mistake that we’ll go down without a fight. We weren’t late because the battle was long, it was because we got covered in blood.”

He stared at her, shocked by the fact that she could fight. Most noble woman were passive and depended on their husbands or fathers to protect them.

But Elissa Cousland was different.

She was willing to take her destiny in her own hands.

He furrowed his brows as he concentrated, the name “Howe” sounding familiar.

”I’m sorry for your loss,” he offered weakly, knowing grief very well.

She breathed out and ran a hand through her hair, frowning when she seemed to remember that she had just inadvertently ruined her careful updo.

”You know, that’s why I came tonight. I wanted to thank you.”

He glanced over at her, not entirely sure what she was talking about.

She scanned his face, her own expression remaining serious. “You don’t remember, do you?” she asked calmly.

Alistair shook his head.

”You killed him. You and the Hero of Ferelden took down the man who had murdered my family. I wanted to thank you, my only regret is that I wasn’t there to strike the final blow,” she said bitterly.

He squeezed her hand as it came rushing back to him.

It was when Daylen and him were trying to get Anora out of the castle. They’d had to kill Howe, not that either of them minded too much. It was clear he wasn’t a good man.

”I don’t know if I should be feeling so lucky that ending a man’s life brought you into mine,” he joked weakly.

She sent him a sad smile.

They found a bench by the flowers and took a seat, Alistair still holding onto her hands.

”You know, I lost someone I loved like family years ago, as well. His name was Duncan,” he said quietly.

He hadn’t talked about Duncan in years, it was painful to bring up, but with her it seemed safe.

”I’m so sorry, Alistair...” she trailed off, seeming like she was thinking something over as she looked up at the sky. “It hurts everyday, doesn’t it?” she murmured, speaking with a tone that said she understood very well.

He nodded, finding a strange comfort in someone who could relate.

She wrested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Alistair watched her quietly. Her lashes were dark against her ivory cheeks, a wonderful rosy glow rising up in them. Her nose matched, probably from the cold, and her hair was falling down her back down.

”I choose you. Marry me,” he blurted out, not expecting the words but still being pleasantly surprised by them.

She bolted up, staring at him with wide-eyes. “What?” she asked, clearly thinking she hadn’t heard him right.

Alistair blushed deeply, but then he set his face into a more serious look and stood up. “Wait a second, please.”

And then he was running.

Elissa wondered if he was ever going to return while she considered what he had said, but a moment later he was back and out of breath.

He then got down on one knee and held out a rose to her. “I know it’s not a ring, but I saw you admiring the roses earlier and I thought-“

She closed her hand around his, watching him with an expression mixed with fear and anticipation.

”Alistair?” she whispered.

He forgot how to speak for a few seconds. Maker, he even forgot how to breathe.

”I know it sounds crazy, and I know we just met, but I am deeply enamored with you. The thought of you leaving after this ball- I can’t. I have to marry eventually, and the thought of it being anyone other than you kills me. I need you here, with me, until the day we die. Please, marry me.”

Elissa had tears in her eyes by the time he was finished, and he wasn’t sure if that was bad or good.

”I’m sorry- I’m not very good at this...”

She shook her head profusely and lunged forward, grabbing him into a kiss.

It was explosions and utter peace at the same time. It felt like everything he’d heard a kiss should be. She was tender and ferocious all at once, mixing passion into gentleness to create the perfect moment.

When they pulled away, they were both breathing heavy.

”I love you,” he breathed out, too lost in the moment to care how crazy it sounded.

He could feel her smile. “I love you too.”

She pressed a short kiss to his lips.

”That wasn’t too soon, was it?” he asked stupidly.

She laughed. “Maybe for some couples, not us, though.”

”Is that a yes?” he asked hopefully.

She nodded enthusiastically, her smile only growing.

“Yes, definitely. I am completely and truly yours.”


End file.
